WHAT’S THE TRUTH BEHIND THE CHARGE: The root cause of Hamas terrorism is Israel’s blockade of Gaza, which has turned Gaza into an open-air prison.

Hamas terrorists do not murder Israelis because Israel blockades Gaza. Israel blockades Gaza because Hamas terrorists murder Israelis.

Israel first occupied Gaza following the Six Day War in 1967. In 1978, under the Camp David Accords, Israel returned the Sinai to Egypt in return for peace. Israel tried to include Gaza in the exchange, but the Egyptians refused to accept it. So Israel remained an involuntary occupier until 2005, when it unilaterally pulled out.

Israel hoped that Gaza, situated on a beautiful Mediterranean shoreline, could become economically vibrant, and that its people would become more interested in living well than in killing Israelis. When Israel disengaged, it left behind 3,000 state-of-the-art greenhouses, which had generated hundreds of millions of dollars in flowers and agricultural products.  They hoped that their transfer to Palestinian control would help jump-start the local economy. 

The Gazans demolished them within hours of the departure of the Israelis.

After Hamas gained control over Gaza, it began a periodic campaign of firing rockets into Israel.  Hamas boasted that it fired more than 11,000 rockets at Israel between 2000 and 2011, killing more than 1,360 Israelis and injuring more than 6,400 others. It also built tunnels into Israel.

The blockade was a direct result of these unprovoked attacks on Israeli civilians. To reduce the missile fire and terror tunnels, Israel has tried to block the importation of “dual-use” materials, such as metal and cement, which should be used for construction, but which Hamas diverts and uses to make rockets and tunnels. Hamas uses child labor to build these tunnels.  According to a 2012 article published by the Institute for Palestine Studies, Hamas officials have admitted that more than 160 children were killed in construction accidents.

Israel has tried to ensure that humanitarian supplies intended for civilians are not stolen and used by Hamas for its military. This appears to have happened just last week, when the UN agency in charge of refugee affairs disclosed that Hamas had stolen 24,000 liters of fuel and medical supplies meant for refugees. The UN agency later withdrew this statement, almost certainly out of fear of Hamas reprisals.

It is noteworthy that Egypt, which also shares a border with Gaza, also imposes a blockade.

Even after years of rocket fire, Israel held to the hope that a prosperous Gaza would be a peaceful neighbor. Up until the October 7 terrorist attack, Israel was issuing 20,000 work permits allowing Gazans to work at high-paying jobs in Israel.

Unfortunately, these hopes have been dashed, perhaps permanently, by the October 7 terrorist rampage. Hamas has forced Israel to continue to blockade Gaza. No doubt Hamas will continue to blame Israel for restrictive measures which its own terrorist activities have necessitated.